Thanks to all who have complimented the effort! I was warned this would be a big job, a tremendous workload, etc. but those folks forgot to mention the support or the fun watching the players struggle and excel.

Of course there's a long way to go, and I may have to count on more help from the volunteer hosts as we move ahead! I also expect my AAR reports will get more graphics-based and less wordy as the workload increases. But for now, it's fun writing them.

I will also have a surprise or two along the way, so "stay tuned, kiddies!"

SUMMARY: As you can tell, Charles has been very active since the last update. He's taken Island #10, Ft Pulaski, moved some of the Savannah force to take Augusta GA, up the river to take Garysburg NC, took Mobile and some of the outer forts there, took Meridian MS, had to defend Denver, tried and failed to take Manassas, took Tallahassee, took Ft. Henry/Donelson, dealt successfully with a large rebel invasion of Iowa and Kansas, took Little Rock, and so on.

However, not all his ventures have met with success, as the NM totals show: He got chased out of Augusta, got crushed at Garysburg, lost Meridian MS, failed to take Corinith, lost New Mexico, to name a few. Although he's gained on VPs from cities, he's had heavy losses in doing so - but has inflicted many as well. In fact, it's a bloody game.

Still, Charles is ahead of most other Union generals in other games as far as territory taken/threatened. Seraphim has done well, especially lately, of successfully reacting to these incursions and repelling them, or even defeating them. However the loss of Mobile is a blow, and Charles is perhaps 10 turns away from splitting the South in two, should he chose to make it a priority. Richmond is far from safe, as he can land there anytime he wants since he controls both Ft. Monroe and Norfolk.

results of L Jan 62
quiet turn again

results of E Feb 62
Grant, Porter Take Island #10! Force Now Isolated as Buchanan Chases off Federal Fleet! [ 0 NM ]
Fort Pulaski Falls to Union! Second Attack Succeeds! [ 0 NM ]
Winter Wrecks Havoc on Both Sides Supplies in Missouri!
Longstreet Reinforces Confederate Troops in South Port North Carolina!
Hooker Pulls Out of Chowan in Virginia!
Milroy Moves from Front Royal to Culpeper, to Cut off Manassas Supplies!
Forrest on the Move in Missouri!

results of L Mar 62
Yanks Take Mobile!
March 27 - Federals sailed and steamed past the forts guarding Mobile Alabama and landed two divisions under Gen. Prentiss, which took the city. The rebels were nearly eliminated, with 1,969 of 2,196 lost, and 4 of 6 regimental flags captured. The 15,537 yanks lost 2,290 and their ships took 55 hits from Fort Morgan.The Union took 800 men and 100 rifles. All the Union generals involved were praised by President Lincoln. The capture of Mobile was welcomed by USA citizens. [ I am very surprised this was 0 NM! ]

results of E Apr 62
Union Crushed at Garysburg! Jackson Returns with a Vengeance!
April 2, 1862 - 43,700 graycoats hit Foster's 18,500 [ PWR = 2669 v 562 ] and dealt out revenge for the previous defeat there, causing 12,895 losses and 17 regiments destroyed, mostly due to a hasty retreat ordered by Gen. Foster. The confederates lost 6,300. "They just appeared out of nowhere," said one Yankee. "We didn't even have time to strike camp. The officers told us to fire and run, pretty much."
[ +6 CSA NM ]

In related maneuvers, Stuart retook Edenton and other CSA forces retook Columbia, leaving Foster's corps halfway between Norfolk and Goldsboro, which Meagher's forces took, depriving the CSA of yet another key depot, although they did recapture the one at Garysburg, now severely depleted.

In Kansas, Forrest's men left Leavenworth and escaped south. Magruder's men left Council Bluff, headed northwesterly.

results of L Apr 62

McClellan Takes, Then Loses, Columbus GA!
April 1 - The Army of the Potomac surprised the garrison at Columbus GA, taking the city, but then retreated across the Appalichicola River into Alabama when two confederate divisions under Holmes and Hokes arrived. Atlanta seems saved, but Montgomery seems very exposed.

Grant and Two Corps Attack Beauregard in Manassas!
Finding the CSA with a corps in Manassas that is closed to being trapped, Gen. Grant's Union Army sprung upon it, hitting it from three sides, as corps of Milroy came from Culpeper, and Whipple came from Leesburg. However, Bory's Boys (8,293) were well-entrenched, and held off the 25,275 Yanks [ PWR = 1483 v 495 ] The Union lost 3,444 and the Confederates lost 2,982. The CSA position is now even more exposed. It may pull out, or wait for reinforcements, or simply defy the Yanks to hit them again.

SUMMARY: The CSA's invasion of Maryland resulted in two big battles, both of which were big losses to the Confederates, -5 NM total. Grant fought a major battle at Jackson, TN resulting in the defeat of Longstreet and +4 NM. Grant is making some headway in West Tennessee, but the CSA are still firmly in control of Virginia, despite their setbacks in the Maryland Incursion. The CSA also has a 500 VP lead, which will be tough to overcome, as there is about a year to go in the game.

results of L Apr 63 turn:Rudolf sometimes sent me a note with his ORD file. Here's one for this turn: "Orders attached. Lots of movement planned this turn. Hope to take at least 2 VP cites, and turn this number to my favor."

Yankees Take, then Lose, Raleigh! - A large cavalry force [ including late cavalry ] took Raleigh, defeating the garrison there and capturing 700 men and 100 rifles and destroying three regiments [ +1 US NM ]. But the arrive of WHF Lee's detachment caused the Union to fall back into Hillsboro later in the turn.

Rebels Fail to Take Lexington Kentucky Back!

Numerous Naval Battles off Wilmington Result in Loss of Union Fleet! - Admiral Semmes appeared with 4 frigates and 2 steam frigates and handed the union the loss of all its ships, assisted by the forts. [ The union fleet bounced back and forth from the port area to the Cape Fear River and back which contributed to its demise.

results of L May 63[SIZE="5"]Ferocious Fighting in Virginia and Tennessee![/size]

May 21, 1863 - Buckingham, VA - Desperate Rebels sortied into Buckingham, west of Richmond, but were repelled by Grant's Army of Virginia, which was well-entrenched and prepared. Stonewall Jackson attacked with 31,376 men and 144 cannons. Grant had his Army, and Gen. Keyes marched toward the sound of the guns and assisted, making the total 30,218 and 189 cannons. [ PWR = 2549 US v 2263 CS ] [Grant = 6-7-6 vs Jackson 5-5-5 ] Losses were 3,474 US and 8,302 CS. [+2 US NM]

May 25, 1863 Memphis, TN - Forney's corps held firm against Lyons, repelling his 18,000 men with 4,520 losses. Forney's 16,000 men lost 2,859. [ +1 CS NM ]
May 29, 1863 Memphis, TN - The battle continued with the arrival of 22,486 Union men under Pope. Forney's 12,700 men and 230 cannon (many on Buchanan's fleet) poured shot upon the bluebellies who lost 3,751 men before pulling back. [ +1 CS NM ]

May 27, 1863 - Garysburg NC - Gen. Robert E. "Bloody" Lee lost 9,300 of his 22,500 men and 80 cannons in a futile attack on 23,000 Union men with 230 cannon under Hooker's command, who lost 1,845. Nearly all the confederate losses were due to superior Union firepower. [ PWR = 933 US v 1806 CS; Lee = 6-6-7 Hooker = 5-6-5 ] [ +5 US NM ]

results of E Jun 63Here are Rudolf's notes to me in his email with the attached ORD file for this turn. I am including them, as it should give the reader some insight on his overall moves:
"..Meade is ordered to attack Richmond. Although I do not believe he will be successful, the plan is to hit Richmond every turn until the end in hopes to force them out and destroy the rebel army. Was glad to see Jackson attack last turn at least he will be softened up a bit now.
..Franklin will move on Petersburg. While Hooker holds Garysburg.
..McDowell to move on Memphis. Lyon and Pope to fall back to Corinth.
..Thomas is move towards Humbolt leaving Freemont and a garrison force of two divisions in Bowling Green."

Heavy Union Losses Across Three Battles!
Meade Defeated at Richmond! McDowell at Memphis! Franklin at Petersburg! [-13 US NM in total ]

too much to report ... will do this one mostly with pictures on the forums which you can see in the replay of course

Results of E Jul 63Another note from Rudolf: " Orders attached. Pretty simple here. Attack Richmond and Memphis with everything I got. This might be a bloodbath especially Richmond but I figure it's about all that can be done."
Situation in East at start of last turn:

Situation in West at start of last turn:

Six Corps Under Grant [PWR = 4002] Attack Two Armies Defending Richmond [PWR=2044]!!!
Three Corps Under McDowell [PWR = 2334] Attack Three Corps Under Joe Johnston [ PWR = 1797] at Memphis!!
Results of War Hang in the Balance!!

at end of L July 63[SIZE="7"]WAR OVER![/size]

[SIZE="5"]Union Spends its Final Strength in Futile Attacks on Richmond, Memphis![/size]

Gentlemen: Congratulations to you both for a well-played and exciting game - one of the best and most even so far. You are both to be commended.

Over the last 3 or 4 turns, Rudolf (Kevin) built up his forces and got them into position to have legitimate shots at both Memphis and the great prize of Richmond, but could not fight his way through the well-entrenched defenses, in spite of having heavy advantages in men and equipment, and determined, repeated attempts. Blindsniper finally bled him to death, and carried the day by a VP win, 2706-2333. The margin had been as low as 100 a few turns earlier, before Rudolf had to make his desperate tries.

Clearly, if the game had not been scheduled to end, the result might have been very different. The format makes men take risky actions, but that's part of the fun for the rest of us.

Take a break ... no other first round game is even close to ending at this point, with two of them still having a year to go in each. I hope to give each of you a decent match in the next round, where I am sure you will both give your opponent fits.

Interesting force allocation from Rudolf. Might have been better off just to focus on taking Memphis or Richmond or ideally one than the other rather than assault with not enough power edge on both fronts. Easy to make that point from the backseat though. Well played and love the whole tournament thing.

veji1 wrote:Interesting force allocation from Rudolf. Might have been better off just to focus on taking Memphis or Richmond or ideally one than the other rather than assault with not enough power edge on both fronts. Easy to make that point from the backseat though. Well played and love the whole tournament thing.

He had to have some dispersal of forces merely to get the point where he COULD attack Richmond and Memphis - and gain enough VP cities to stop the VP bleed every turn. Yeh, consolidation of force is a problem every general faces sooner or later! Note the rather rapid loss of USA NM. When he started, he was in good shape, but every defeat made his job harder and harder. He needed some breaks in the end (like, say zero cohesion for a defender following all those battles), but he didn't get it.

The big question for me, as the tourney designer, is: what would have happened if he had 3 more months?

Interesting force allocation from Rudolf. Might have been better off just to focus on taking Memphis or Richmond or ideally one than the other rather than assault with not enough power edge on both fronts. Easy to make that point from the backseat though. Well played and love the whole tournament thing.

In hindsight focusing on Richmond only may have made for different results but probably only 3-4 full divisions could have been sent from TN. I'm not sure whether this would have changed anything as Blindsniper was entrenched pretty well in Richmond and the attacks that were made really didn't weaken his forces much.

The big question for me, as the tourney designer, is: what would have happened if he had 3 more months?

I was hoping to cut off supply from Richmond thus weaken the CSA forces present but by the time I got my forces in place, due to winter and mud condtions, it was too late in the game to have any effect on supply. Given the luxury of two or three months longer I would have waited before assaulting Richmond. I for one can't complain of this as I knew the deadline was approaching and that it was going to be a close thing at the end.

Rudolf you have been a great opponent and this game it was very funny!

Thank you Blind Sniper and I have to say I had a great time and you are a most worthy opponent. Any time you'd like a rematch I'd be more than happy to oblige.

Longshanks thanks for your support and reports, very appreciated

+1
Longshanks, thanks for all the work you've put into this tourny. The hosting of so many matches and the detail of your battle reports just adds to the fun and makes this a more enjoyable undertaking. Looking forward to my next match.

No time this week to present a lot of details; hope to catch up next week.
Here's a summary of the current games:
ROUND ONE (two games)
Pat Cleburne CS v GChristie US
It's L Sept 62
NM is 130 v 96
VP is 1755 v 1227
VP from cities is 43 v 44
CSA Holds all of Virginia except Ft. Monroe
USA has taken Ft. Henry, all big cities in KY, nearly all of Texas, and Pensacola.

ROUND TWO (three games)
Charlesonmission US v Seraphim CS
E Feb 63 (yes, that's right, 1863 - these guys crank out the turns!)
NM is 85 v 115
VP is 1463 v 1791
VP cities is 45 v 36
CSA is on the defense everywhere, but is effectively counter-punching and running up Union losses, esp lately.
USA In VA, owns the Shenandoah and the rail line to and including Charlottesville and Ft. Monroe
SC - USA owns about 4 regions but has withdrawn most of its army to ....
GA - USA owns Savannah, Macon, Milledgeville, with two corps next to Atlanta on the southside and Lee coming in from SC to contest.
KY - Union owns all except for Columbus (S Johnston) and P'burg (garrison).
TN - all of middle TN, including across the TN river into AL and GA. Several attacks on Chat'ga have failed but there are 4 corps over the river with Rome GA well held.
AL - In addition to above, US has Mobile and Sparta and is adjacent to Montgomery.
FL - US owns both VP cities
AR - owns Little Rock and Fayetteville, but not Ft. Smith.
TX - has a loaded fleet adjacent to a well-defended (?) Galveston.
Essentially, Charles is attempting to cut the CSA in half along the Chattanooga-Atlanta-Savannah line, a strategy I've always wanted to try. Still plenty of time for it to be successful ... or fail.

CitizenX US vs Altaris US
E May 61
CitizenX has told me he has to drop due to new work demands, so we'll have to revise Altaris' matchup in the second round!

Newman5 US v Durk CS
E Aug 61
early yet ... CSA kept Manassas, USA has not moved much in MO.

Pat "Stonewall" Cleburne wrote:You don't see any of my units in your states do you? I even gave you KY and MO but noooo, that wasn't enough. I guess there's a reason they don't call it northern hospitality.

Shucks,

It's just that we love our southern brethren so, we can't bear to live without you. Seein' you won't come to us, we decided to come pay you a visit and an extended stay. Now, a little more of that hard sauce, if you please

"Now, back to Rome for a quick wedding - and some slow executions!"- Miles Gloriosus

SummaryAs in one or two other games, the Union's final score does not reflect the high level of play. Union players who are close, but behind, must resort to attacks they would not likely attempt if the game were not ending.
There have been three close games so far. This is the second to end at the end of July 1863, as per the tournament scenario. The Union has lost both close games, with the third still up for grabs.

My take on this particular game is that Charles held the initiative most of the game. Seraphim had no reason to challenge this, as he knew that he merely needed to hold what he had to win. This is the same way that Jefferson Davis thought. However, unlike Davis, Seraphim only had to hold out until the start of August 1863. He carefully marshalled his troops, took what was given to him, and defended heavily those places where he had the most to lose. For the most part he did not waste effort on exciting, but needless, attempts to take Louisville, Baltimore, and the like. At the end, he sent a corps after St. Louis, as an "insurance policy" against Union success elsewhere. It failed to take St. Louis, or draw much Union attention, however.

Charles used his navy very well, taking Savannah early, along with Wilmington and Mobile. He kept all but Wilmington until the end.

After he took Kentucky, his emphasis was on taking middle Tennessee, where he took Ft. Henry, Nashville and then drove on Chattanooga. There, at Lookout Mountain, were many battles over months in 1863 as he tried to take the city by force. He came very close once, with Joe Johnston's men out of supplies, but Charles failed to cut off the rail line from Virginia, which resupplied the forces with both supplies and men.

The Chattanooga effort was combined with an assault up the rivers of Georgia, where he took Macon and Milledgeville, only failing to take Atlanta when Lee and his army appeared to defend it. With this strategy, he nearly succeeded in cutting the confederacy in two where it would hurt the most.

Nor did he neglect Richmond. There he took and held the railline that leads from Alexandria to Richmond. His attempts to cut Richmond off led to many battles in Henrico, where he could never get a victory.

In summary, Charles played well enough to win with the exception of depriving his main targets of supply. In his defense, he had little time to arrange such a siege, and to be sure Seraphim realized his weaknesses and defended flanking approaches well, especially at Henrico VA.

Seraphim has now won two games and Charles is 1-1. They are the only two into the Third Round so far.

Congratulations to Seraphim. He played a great game and deserved to win. I’m left with great memories of the game. I really loved playing the Union and felt the opportunities to move forward very exciting. I’m left to wonder what could have been….. If the attack on Lynchburg had succeeded. If the first attack on Lookout Mountain had succeeded. If I had been more concerned about my long supply line to TN and GA. If I had gone for NO instead of Mobile. And that is what makes this game great. The unknown, the realism, and the possibilities. A special thanks to Longshanks as well for being a great host. I will be on holiday from Feb 16 to Feb 29, so I won’t be able to start the next game until then. I would prefer to have the Union to give it another go!

Congratulations to Patrick, and so long to GChristie, who is dropping out of the tourney due to time commitments. Sorry to lose you!

Game Summary:

George got a few licks in, but Pat was in control of the game pretty much from day 1, and seemed to dictate where battles would and wouldn't be fought and on what terms. When the USA went into new fronts, Pat tended to ignore them. For example, in the summer of 62 the USA invaded Texas with a fairly large force. Pat more or less conceded Texas and the 3 VP per turn in favor of keeping his concentration of troops in West Tennessee and Northern VA.

Pat didn't put up much of a fight for Ft. Henry - in fact he evacuated it, and at the end of the game Island #10 had the original garrison and nothing else in it. Instead, his forces heavily defended Nashville and West Tennessee, and kept the capability of reacting with force and alacrity upon any incursion.

In Virginia, Pat took a similar path. He did not invade early, but took and held Manassas. He conceded the Shenandoah and the Peninsula, but kept very large mobile forces in and around Manassas and Richmond to react if there was further movement from either.

George did take Pensacola and held it convincingly, but again, Pat didn't put too much there, except at Mobile and Montgomery, which had a division each.

Essentially, Pat was daring the USA to attack him where he was strongest, and this did not occur, knowing that the clock is definitely not the Union's friend. Finally, CSA forces were poised to launch a serious invasion of Maryland, when George conceded.

GChristie's approach was methodical and took few risks that I could see. He made no significant mistakes. In a full-length game this approach might have paid off very well indeed. In a time-limited game such as ours, perhaps a bit more risk has to be taken. That's easy for me to say, as I just watch the games, I don't play them!

Pat is paired against Altaris in the next round where they will switch sides and Pat will have to figure out how to move the Union fast enough to get that win by the end of L July 63!

Congrats to Moni Kerr, who won his first round game as the Union ... and by VP victory in June of 1863, btw! Thanks to Mortar, who took over as an alternate to finish the game, which was the last First Round game. Mortar threw in the towel after two consecutive turns of -9NM victories by Moni Kerr, all in Tennessee/Mississippi, which (I think he will agree) is excellent fighting ground for the Union. Moni Kerr closed the VP gap by 90+ VPs in the last turn (E Jun 63) alone, and was on a streamroller to win.

Interestingly, there was virtually no fighting in Virginia, with nearly the whole state in CSA hands. The Union took Texas, but otherwise left the coast alone. Moni Kerr dumped all his eggs in the U.S. Grant basket, and let him run loose in Western and Middle Tennessee, and finally in the Jackson/Vicksburg area. In Tennessee, he decimated Longstreets corps, and was well on the way to doing the same to Polk's Corps and Bory's Army in Mississippi, led by Sherman and Lyon's Corps. At the end, he had 19 divisions with or near Grant in Mississippi, but only 7 in the Washington DC area.

USA v CSA (this is the order for data presentation in all cases below)
FelixZ v Rudolf
E Aug 61 - It's early and the game is still shaping up.

Pat Cleburn v Altaris
L Dec 61 - Pat has tried several attacks in Virginia and Missouri, with one whopping big 96 CP stack under McDowell, however they were all repulsed. Still, all the signs of this being a most interesting game!

Rattler v Moni Kerr
L Jul 61 - Another game of movement and battle that promises lots of action.

Newman v Durk
E Mar 62 - Newman is still learning and has started an AAR on this game. It's been in a break for most of this week while Newman has been on the road.

Charlesonmission v Seraphim
This game has been completed, as previously reported.

Blindsniper v ??
Need an alternate to step up here, otherwise he's going to have to play me which would give him a HUGE advantage over the other players!

For a summary of Round 1 Games and the overall current status of the Tourney, always see Page 1 of this thread!

Thanks to GraniteStater who has stepped in to help out. GS was going to be in the tourney originally but the Dreaded Dragon of Real Life interfered (curse the DDRL!) Nice to have him back in and just in time for the slick new update.